Latin America News Headlines

BRAS�LIA (Reuters) - Brazilian police raided the offices and homes of two members of Congress on Wednesday in the latest corruption probe as the government makes a last-ditch effort to vote on an overhaul of the country's costly pension system.

BUENOS AIRES/BRASILIA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Trade talks between the European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc will likely extend into next year after European negotiators said they needed more time to respond to improved offers, a source close to Mercosur negotiators said on Tuesday.

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian appeals court on Tuesday said it would decide on Jan. 24 on an appeal by former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against a corruption conviction that could bar him from running in the 2018 presidential race.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The sinking of the U.S. freighter El Faro in 2015 with the loss of 33 lives came after an overconfident captain set the ship and its poorly trained crew on a collision course with a hurricane, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report on Tuesday.

BOGOTA (Reuters) - A Colombian judge sentenced a former vice-minister of transport to five years and two months in prison on Tuesday after the ex-official admitted to taking millions of dollars in bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The European Union and South American bloc Mercosur are unlikely to reach agreement on a trade deal this year because EU negotiators want to wait until next year to discuss improved offers, a source close to Mercosur negotiators said on Tuesday.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The United States, European Union and Japan vowed on Tuesday to work together to fight market-distorting trade practices and policies that have fueled excess production capacity, naming several key features of China's economic system.